A prospective validation study of sentinel lymph node biopsy in multicentric breast cancer: SMMaC trial.

Background: Multicentric breast cancer is often considered a contra-indication for sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy due to concerns with sensitivity and false negative rate. To assess SLN feasibility and accuracy in multicentric breast cancer, the multi-institutional SMMaC trial was conducted.

Methods: In this study 30 patients with multicentric breast cancer and a clinically negative axilla were prospectively included.

Discordance between number of scintigraphic and perioperatively identified sentinel lymph nodes and axillary tumour recurrence.

Background: In breast cancer, sentinel node biopsy is considered the standard method to assess the lymph node status of the axilla. Preoperative identification of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) is performed by injecting a radioactive tracer, followed by lymphoscintigraphy. In some patients there is a discrepancy between the number of lymphoscintigraphically identified sentinel nodes and the number of nodes found during surgery.

[Cardiovascular nuclear medicine 1976/'06: 30 years representation in clinical cardiology].

Over the past 30 years, cardiovascular nuclear medicine has become an important diagnostic tool in patients with known and suspected coronary artery disease. Myocardial perfusion scintigraphy is indicated in: patients with suspected coronary artery disease and an intermediate likelihood of disease to detect myocardial ischemia, patients with a sustained myocardial infarction to assess myocardial viability, patients following revascularization for risk stratification, and coronary patients to assess prognosis. Gated SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging offers the potential of assessing left ventricular function and myocardial perfusion simultaneously.

Good correlation between gated single photon emission computed myocardial tomography and contrast ventriculography in the assessment of global and regional left ventricular function.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of the measured left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and wall motion analysis by the recently introduced quantitative electrocardiographically (ECG)-gated myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed myocardial tomography technique (gated SPECT) (QGS).

Materials And Methods: We compared technetium-99 m tetrofosmin gated SPECT imaging and contrast ventriculography in the assessment of global and regional left ventricular function in 74 patients with undiagnosed chest pain of whom 27 sustained a previous myocardial infarction.

Results: Linear regression analysis demonstrated that gated SPECT determined LVEF correlated well with LVEF determined from contrast ventriculography (y = 0.

Perfusion and functional abnormalities outside the septal region in patients with left bundle branch block assessed with gated SPECT.

Background: The presence of a left bundle branch block (LBBB) pattern on the electrocardiogram may frequently lead to perfusion defects in the septum not necessarily due to ischemic heart disease, but probably due to abnormal septal wall motion. The introduction of gated single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) allows the evaluation of myocardial perfusion and function in one study. Accordingly, we analysed perfusion and function and the relation between perfusion and regional function in the septal region in patients with a LBBB without evidence of a previously sustained myocardial infarction.